| Drag Hunting, like fox hunting, is a sport that involves a pack of dogs like Beagles or Foxhounds. However, it is not a blood sport and no animal is killed or hunted. Instead, the scent is laid by a volunteer over a certain area which can extend to a few miles and ends at a finishing point. This scent is usually animal meat and aniseed oils that are combined and “laid” on the route by dragging it along the ground so that the dogs can sniff the scent and follow the trail. The pack of dogs is let loose at the beginning of the trail and have to catch the scent and get to the end, which is the finishing line. The hound that gets there first is the winner.
A deviation from the usual Drag Hunting is when the dogs are trailed on horseback by some participants and there is no chosen finishing line. The hunt comes to an end when the hounds draw level with the volunteer.
Because Drag Hunting does not involve any killing or hunting of an animal and is not a blood sport, it has gained popularity in areas where blood sports like fox hunting are banned. The League against cruel sports which consists of anti hunting crusaders in the United Kingdom have approved of drag hunting as a substitute for fox hunting. A lot of people who used to participate in fox hunting have now taken to trail or Drag Hunting. It has become a very popular sport. |
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